Religion

A religion is a system of beliefs that asserts the existence of at least one of: a human soul or spirit, a deity or "higher being", or the continuation of the self after the death of one's body. Religion (as an uncountable noun) is the way of living or the set of customs or rituals that follows from such beliefs.[1]. Many religions are subdivided into sects or denominations.

It is notoriously difficult to define what does and does not constitute a religion, due to the sheer variety of human religious beliefs and practices. Taoism and Confucianism, for instance, are sometimes described as philosophies rather than religions.

External links

• adherents.com - This site attempts to track numbers of members of different religions, both in the US and abroad.
• American Religious Identification Survey